Anyone who doesn't like The Wire or Six Feet Under is a wild card in my book. I'd have bet money that he'd like the former. Expecting Red Dog to like something is like betting on Notre Dame football. It's a much bigger gamble than one would logically expect.

das

Yeah - I'm quite fickle that way. I really really wanted to like The Wire. I didn't dislike it, but I was forcing myself to watch the 5th and 6th episodes. 6FU? My roommate at the time watched the first season so I watched it too. It was like a death march.

Yeah, it's not worth it to force yourself to watch stuff like this when your schedule is packed with Smallville, Enterprise, and JAG.

das

... says the guy who never misses an episode of According to Jim

Hey, I can't help what entertains me. Frankly, the eye candy factor has been quite prevalent on those shows so I'm probably thinking with my other head. That would certainly explain why I am still watching Tilt.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

das

I would have been shocked to find out that Red Dog likes Six Feet Under. I agree about The Wire, however.

I love the show. So much so that for about two days I just let the show play on loop in the background...yup. It's easy to see how this wouldn't be somebody's bag. Everything isn't for everyone vis a vi natural selection of tastes...differ....when you come together as one...argo...to create a whole ::stares blankly at the camera::.

I watched the pilot episode, and the only reason I might've laughed at all is because it was so fucking pitiful. It was just... sad. Why do Americans try to make their own version of popular British comedies? It just doesn't work. Or maybe it's just me.

Honestly, I liked the first series better than the second, and I loved the special. It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

And as far as "getting in a few laughs" - Understatement of the century. I showed The Office to a friend of mine, and he was literally rolling on my bed laughing.

I realize the show isn't like other brittish shows, I just said I enjoyed other brittish shows to qualify myself as someone who doesn't find the way they talk or the slang to be a barrier... there was probably a better way to say that - like the way I just said it.

I think this show relies heavily on one particular joke... if you don't like that joke, you probably aren't gonna like the show. On top of that, I really don't like Ricky - not just his character. I kinda liked the Tim and Gareth stuff... but stapler in Jelly didn't really feel 'new' to me. And perhaps alot of these jokes fell short of inspired for me. So much of it felt familiar rather than creative. Ali G references and Wasssaaap - even at the time (2001) were dorky which I'm sure was in itself part of the joke... for some maybe those references get better with age like wine, for me they expire like raw fish.

I take back when I said the show lacked a story arc... it did have one. It just didn't go anywhere in the first season. I can't even picture anyone laughing during season 1... like I don't know where they would laugh given the descriptions of how much and how hard everyone laughs during this show. And that could be part of the problem... everyone talks about how riotously funny it is and I go into it thinking I'll be on the floor popping stitches and it just puts me to sleep.

I too bought the entire set based on the word-of-mouth I've seen here. I watched the first episode, and it didn't really grab me at all. I saw potential in it, but it'll be a while before I make myself sit down and give it another chance. One problem for me is that the British dialect was so thick I had a hard time understanding it. I maybe caught 60% of what was being said, which is strange for me since I had a Welch grandmother and I've watched Coupling, Monty Python, and Ab Fab with no problems. I'll re-watch it eventually, but maybe when I can find a time when there's no distractions and I can turn up the volume. And maybe turn on some friggin' caption.

You do that too?

---------------

Excellent show that, of course, is not for everyone.

But now my reponse makes no sense! How dare you...

I guess I'll delete it, too.

I can't help but wonder if people are just using this as an excuse, not paying attention, or just have their ears clogged. I had no problem at all understanding everything that was said. Maybe, I could understand if someone who watches nothing but American TV might have a problem with it, but the show is certainly no more British in dialogue than Monty Python or Ab Fab, if anything its MUCH less, the show constantly references Amercian culture.

While I didn't like every episode of the two seasons of The Office, the training episode had me in stitches.

While I enjoyed the show, I found it very painful to watch. I oversympathize with embarassing moments, and there are many in here.

I completely agree - the first time I watched it, I kept covering my eyes and getting up to walk away because it was all so painfully awkward. I was mildly amused at times, but that was all. Tim and Dawn kept me going. Then I watched it again - and it was much funnier. I could handle the embarrassing parts better, and found much of it a lot funnier. I also adored the christmas special, but don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet.

As to it not having a story - I disagree. It is much like an independent film (slice of life and all of that) but by the end of the christmas special the two seasons and special all add up to a great story (or stories, however you want to look at it).

Oh, and while the humor of The Office is nothing like the movie Office Space, imo the appreciation of that humor is similar, in that it gets funnier with each viewing and with familiarity with the characters. YMMV (my boyfriend couldn't stand the show) but imo it's worth repeat viewings to appreciate the funny.

I found your remarks quite interesting - see my previous remarks on The Office - I found that I "got over" a lot of my sympathetic embarrasment upon second (+) viewing, and so found it much funnier the second time around. My co-worker lent me the first two seasons of curb your enthusiasm on dvd, and I have a REALLY hard time with the lack of social skills and my abject embarrasment over some of the situations (plus I get really mad at larry david's complete failure to respond in a remotely normal way in certain situations) - you've got me thinking that what I need to do is not give up on CYE, but rather to take the time to watch them again. My friend will be pleased, as he finds the episodes endlessly amusing, and is so sad when I disagree. So thanks!

I guess I need to watch it under better circumstances next time. I was pretty tired after a long day when I watched it, so that might have affected my concentration skills.

Unfortunately b/c it is British, & the writing is dry & witty, & full of phrases we don't use, it's not like a typical American sitcom where you can just put it on anytime no matter what you are going or your state of mind & understand it. Which is a big part of why people don't like it.

See, I found the main character to be a complete douche and I didn't feel bad or uncomfortable for him at all. He was a stupid dick and deserved to be told off... what annoyed me more was that the rest of the cast was such a bunch of losers that they couldn't be bothered to say anything to him or stand up to him knowing what a pushover he was, he'd probably never fire anyone. I suppose that's part of the humor, but the documentary style adding realism and the lack of realistic characters were instrumental in my not finding anything funny enough to laugh at. I don't know - maybe that's part of it... maybe not.

I have watched Curb Your Enthusiasm and I like that show. I like Arrested Development, Wonderfalls, and Scrubs as well. Not that these are at all related. Seriously though, I like the idea of The Office... I think it could've made for a funny show... I just didn't like the the execution. Perhaps this is like one of those things where people say they laughed their asses off at The Royal Tenenbaums the entire time and can't fathom people who didn't like their in some kind of club, meanwhile even though I get the comedy, I just don't see it as being hilarious bwahahahaha... more of a quiet internal "hmm... that's kinda funny".

You're welcome.

And it's funny you would say that about your reaction to Larry David's CYE character. My wife has also said the same thing, that the show at times actually infuriates her. But there are those times when she can see through her anger and get into the humor. Remember: It is not actually a documentary...it is not actually a documentary...

Trigger, from your posts it sounds like you are watching these with an expectation of something, and when you didn't get that fulfilled, it pissed you off. You keep talking about "it didn't have a story arc" and "it didn't have character development" etc, but there are tons of shows on TV that don't have this, especially sitcoms. If you have any interest, I would suggest rewatching the shows without thinking about what you think is lacking or what they are doing wrong. I don't know if that is even possible, but you seem like you wanted to like the show, but can't figure out why you didn't.

I don't really keep talking about those things, I only said it once I think... anyway, I retracted my statement about it not having a story arc... as for character development, I think the characters were developed fine ultimately. I'll agree with you that my initial viewing was mainly a major letdown because I was expecting something else... but after putting it away for several months, I approached it the other night without such expectations and tried to let it take me where it was going. I did want to like the show, but I know why I didn't... the why I can't figure out is why everyone else seems to think it's such a riot. Hence my asking if anyone else didn't like it besides me. I'll consider giving it another spin as repeat viewings seem to help, but I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for the magic to reveal itself.

Well, it does sound like you gave it a fair second chance. At this point, I would say it just isn't your kind of show, whatever it is: the comedy, the acting, or the style.

I made a point once to tune in and watch one episode on BBC America the week the first set of DVDs came out, just to see if it was something I'd want to take a chance on and buy, but I wasn't too impressed. The first half was mildly amusing- it featured the boss interviewing two people, some guy and an attractive woman, for the position of his secretary and it was very clear who was going to get the job from the start. The second half just had everybody going to a bar drinking after work and acting awkwardly and I didn't find it funny at all.

I wouldn't call it a terrible show, but it didn't do much for me.